Cops acted on information
The recent controversy over beef-eating and beef festivals, and the return of awards in a protest action against the ‘spirit of intolerance’ reflected in the beef ban and murder of some social activists, are clearly unnecessary issues being raked up by certain anti-BJP and anti-RSS forces.
India is a large country with diverse cultures and many religions. People have different eating habits. Some are vegetarian, some eat beef, some eat pork, and many others do not. There were one or two isolated incidents which were magnified with ulterior motives. The recent incident at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, of the killing a Muslim, was an isolated incident. The UP government has submitted a report to the Centre, upon instructions from the Union home ministry, on the killing, as also another on the law and order situation in the state. We have to respect people’s eating habits. At the same time, we have to respect the sentiments of the majority community and the beliefs of the people thereof. We have to respect the laws. Wherever the law against cow slaughter is applicable, it has to be enforced.
In the Kerala House in Delhi, information went to the police that beef was being served in its canteen. As the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act is enforceable in New Delhi, the police acted swiftly on such information and conducted a raid on Kerala House to verify as to what was happening there. In the meanwhile, some people who were agitated over the reports of sale of beef in the canteen reached there. The incident was reported out of proportion and sentiments whipped up.
The Constitution of India has, in its Directive Principles, stated very clearly that we must respect cows and protect them. A large section of Indian society respects the cow and offers prayers to it as Gomata. However, religion is a personal affair. No person should hurt the feelings of others.
Unfortunately, there are forces that are anti-Hindu, anti-BJP and anti-RSS, that are purposely and provocatively holding beef festivals on university campuses, hurting the sentiments of the majority community. The trend has started very recently and some sections of the media are unnecessarily giving excessive coverage to such actions.
People’s habits are a private affair. The return of awards by some awardees from different fields is an act of disgrace. These awardees are trying to attribute intolerance on the part of the BJP government headed by Narendra Modi, whereas no incident so far has been connected in any way with the actions of the Union government. Law and order is a state subject.
Also, these awardees were silent when hundreds of temples were destroyed in Kashmir, and thousands of Pandits driven away from there. This is tantamount to an insult to the people. The awards were given to them for their work and not for propagating their political ideology. Significantly, these worthies enjoyed keeping with them the cash part of the award and haven’t returned it. It is the BJP government that now rules India. The coming years in this country are also going to be the BJP’s era. Pseudo-intellectuals are well-advised to learn to be tolerant.
N. Ramachandra Rao, The writer is a BJP MLC and national executive member of the party.
Raid is really unpardonable
It is unforgivable that the Delhi Police has demonstrated high handedness and indulged in an unconstitutional raid on Kerala House in New Delhi on suspicion that its canteen served beef.
Ever since the BJP came to power, the level of intolerance towards the values and beliefs of other religions is at its peak. Religious extremism and hate politics are rampant. BJP leaders seem to be either ignorant or are arrogant enough to contaminate the very spirit of the Indian Constitution.
Across the nation, at the behest of the BJP, attempts are being made to hurt sentiments of the people of other religions and question their beliefs. This is undercutting the very essence of democracy. Irony is, they are building the statue of Sardar Patel as being the icon of national integration while they are also shamefully making attempts to disintegrate the nation. It only shows their double standard.
After all, what is the right of the government, or a party, to decide what one should eat and what one should not, or what one should write, speak, and wear? Are we not in a democracy? Are we not governed by the Indian Constitution?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi must realise that there are still crores of people across the nation who are starving for want of a day's meal. Instead of fulfilling such basic needs of the poor and the needy, it looks like the attempts of the BJP government are only to play politics by resort to communal and religious polarisation or engaging in divisive politics to gain political supremacy.
The BJP is ignoring the fact that modern India, with a majority of the middle class, doesnot believe in communal divisiveness and in the politics of polarisation. The citizens of modern India seek to create a culture of tolerance, cohesiveness and communion not only locally and nationally but also globally.
The Prime Minister is not realising that the international community would be averse to such religious intolerance and that such sentiments would-be counter productive. Mr Modi must also realise that a majority of the aboriginals of India eat beef and that’s their staple food. Would Indian police be in a position to file cases against them all? Can the government impose restrictions on them?
The government is conveniently being blind to the fact that India is the world’s largest beef exporter, of which cow meat formed the largest segment. If the BJP government is not being hypocritical and truly believes in putting a halt to the eating of beef, why can’t they, first and foremost, ban the export of beef? Why can’t they close down the slaughter houses that are killing lakhs of cattle and exporting meat?
Al-Kabir is one such example in Hyderabad. During the late 80s and early 90s, the BJP made a major hue and cry to ban the Al-Kabir. Why are they silent now that they are in power?
If the BJP believes in the protection of buffaloes and cows, whoever stops them from declaring these as ‘national animals’ and imposing a ban on killing them or eating their meat?
Dr Sravan Dasoju, The writer is chief spokesperson of the Telangana state Congress
